In a world where much of the Systems-2 thinking is done by agents, I find myself more and more going towards cognitive atrophy. Even in my daily work, most of my tasks are superbly executed by autonomous agents while I sit there staring at my screen. The dopamine rush that I used to get while once solving a bug, writing significant code, or thinking something from first principles is fading.
Eventually I might lose this ability forever, and hence one fine day I thought to myself to make a list of all the things (activities/skills whatever you may say) I can do to get that control back. This by no means is exhaustive; however, I have tried to cover a wide variety spanning mathematics, logical thinking, programming, and problem solving in general. Please feel free to suggest more in the comments.
Here's the list.
Try making forcasts about actual real events. Assign them probabilities, write down your reasoning, and revisit them when the outcomes are known. See Metaculus
Solve a puzzle hunt where you must first figure out the rules of each puzzle. See MIT Mystery Hunt Archive
One of my favorites is to try to decipher an unfamiliar language with examples. Work out its grammar and translate sentences you have never seen. Try International Linguistics Olympiad problems
Building a defensible model from incomplete information and trying to estimate something that almost seems impossible to know exactly. Talking about Fermi Estimation here.
If you love coding, try competitive programming. (SPOJ and CSES are good places to start.)
If you love mathematics, start solving olympiad problems (start here)
If you really love mathematics, you should try writing detailed proofs of mathematical theorems from first principles. If you’re new to proof-writing, start with Book of Proof. For an extra challenge, try formalizing your proofs using Lean.
If you love coding & mathematics, try solving Project Euler
Learn a card game that requires reasoning about hidden information, such as bridge
Solve problems from IMO or IPhO or IChO or IOAA (pick your favorite subject)
Take philosophical questions from the International Philosophy Olympiad and ponder over them—write down your essays and revisit them from time to time. (imho—essay writing opens your mind)
If you feel the above is too hard - Check out the general questions from Oxford's All Soul Exam
Reproduce a published figure, then change an assumption and see if the conclusion still holds up or not. Johns Hopkins Open Case Studies has examples.
Read any scientific paper (according to your domain of expertise) and design an experiment that could show its main claim as incorrect
Keep a notebook of questions you cannot answer. Every week, choose one and investigate it from first principles. Try to reason using Bayesianism
Choose a decision made by a historical figure. List the information available to them at the time, then defend or criticize the decision without using hindsight.
Edit a paragraph until it is half its original length without losing its meaning. (Without an AI of course!)
Try to cook a dish without a recipe. Form a hypothesis about one change, test it, and record the result.
Learn physical skills like juggling, cardistry, and calligraphy
In a world where much of the Systems-2 thinking is done by agents, I find myself more and more going towards cognitive atrophy. Even in my daily work, most of my tasks are superbly executed by autonomous agents while I sit there staring at my screen. The dopamine rush that I used to get while once solving a bug, writing significant code, or thinking something from first principles is fading.
Eventually I might lose this ability forever, and hence one fine day I thought to myself to make a list of all the things (activities/skills whatever you may say) I can do to get that control back. This by no means is exhaustive; however, I have tried to cover a wide variety spanning mathematics, logical thinking, programming, and problem solving in general.
Please feel free to suggest more in the comments.
Here's the list.